Amusement device.



J. STANLEY.

vAMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. ms

1,290,392. Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

INVENTOR Jab/2 .S/mm/ey ATTORNEY rm: mums rs'rmzs m. rnmmmz,uuisunvuron. n. a

J. STANLEY.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILLD JUNE 25, was

Patented Jan. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2 INVENTOR J 0/712 Jfan/ey ATTORNEY JOHN STANLEY, OFSEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. t.

Application filed June 25, 1918.

in the county of King and State of Wash ington, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to amusement devices and particularly toimprovements in the devices illustrated and described in U. S. PatentNo. 1,165,552 issued Dec. 28, 1915, to myself and James C. Porter.

The object of the present invention is the provision of improved meansfor effecting the transfer between the variousrotar disks of the carswith an absence of shoe is and with a minimum of friction.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and reduce the cost ofconstruction of the device, and generally, to improve its elliciency andeffectiveness for amusement purposes.

The invention consists in the novel construction, adaptation andcombination of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Tn the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan viewof my improved amusement device. Fig. 2 is asectional view through 2-2 of Fig. 1, thecar being shown partly inelevation. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view to illustratethe car propelling and transferring mechanisms. Fig. 1 is a vertical.sectional view through 4:"4: of Fig. 3 and including elements above theplane on which Fig. 3 is taken.

In said drawings, the reference numeral 5 indicates a platform providedwith a plurality of tangentially arranged circular openings 6. Rigidlysecured to framework 7, subjacent to said platform and centrally of eachof the openings 6, is a casting 8 pro vided with a socket 9 (Fig. 4:)for an upright pin 10 which serves as a pivot fora horizontal wheel.

Each of said wheels is formed with a hub 11 connected by radiallydisposed spokes 1:2 with a rim comprised of rigidly connectedcircumferentially spaced frames 13, 13 and tie-plates 14. Secured to theupper side-of and constituting a part of each wheel is a disk 15 whosetop surface is in a plane with the top surface of said platform, saiddisk bein of less diameter than the respective platform opening toafford an annular slot about the disk. Provided in the peripheriesSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

Serial 1vo.241,788.

of said disks and in their respective frames 13, 13 are notches 17 ofsubstantially semicircular forms. To the under side of each of saidwheels is secured a ring 18 having a downwardly directed flange 18engaging in the peripheral grooves of supporting rollers 19 having axlesjournaled in chairs 20 se cured to the framework 7 Provided 011 theouter sides of flanges 18 is a circular toothed rack 18 in mesh withcorrespondingly arranged racks on the adjacent of said wheels so thatwhen rotated the alternate wheels will be caused to rotate in oppositedirections.

Engaging the racks 18 of the alternate wheels, preferably, are spurpinions 21 which are mounted on upright stub shafts 22 having footbearings in blocks, such as 23, Fig. 4. Also mounted on shafts 22 arebevel toothed gears 24 engaged by bevel gears 25 provided on ends ofhorizontal shafts 26 which are driven through the medium 0f beveltoothed gears 27 on the other ends of shafts 26 by a master gear 28.

The last named gear is mounted on an upright shaft 29 disposed inconcentric re lations with respect to the axes of the aforesaid wheelsand is driven, as by means of a worm 30 and gear 31 from the armatureshaft of an electric motor 32.

33 represents cars, preferably of circular shapes, which are eachsupported in proximity to its periphery by means of casters 3 1 trackingon the platform 5 and wheel disks 15.

Secured, as by a socket attachment 34, to the floor 33 of each car is aspindle 35 disposed axially of the car and extending downwardly throughthe wheel notches 17.

Provided in the alternate frames 13, of each wheel see Fig. 3, arelevers having arms 36 and 36 at opposite sides of the fulcrum pins 37Tnthe other frames 13 are provided bellcrank levers having their arms 38and 38 arrangedin approximately rectangular relations with each other.The arms 36 and 38 of said levers terminate in hooks 36 and 38 forreleasably engaging the car spindles 35. The other arms 36 and 38 of therespective levers are connected by rods 39 with rollers 40 operating ina cam groove provided in the respective castings 8.

Each of said cam grooves comprises two arcuate portions 41 and 41 ofdifferent radii and concentric to the axis of the associated wheel; thecam portion all of smaller radius being located at the inner side of awheel adjacent to the axis of all of the wheels and of a circumferentiallength equal to the are between radial lines, as w-w Fig. 3, extendingfrom the axis of a cam, or wheel, to the centers of the adjacent wheels.

The rods 39 are connected in proximity to the rollers 40 by means oflinks 42 to pivotal pins43 provided on wheel spokes 12 so that therollers Will be revolubly carried with the wheels while being affectedby the cams.

' In operation, said wheels are rotated through the agency of theaforedescribed mechanism in the directions indicated by arrows y in Fig.1 thereby propelling the cars 33 whose spindles are engaged in the wheelnotches l7 and by the hooked levers 3636 or 3888 The cars are revolublycarried by the various Wheelsuntil reaching the points of tangencybetween the latter, whereupon the opposing levers of the adjacent wheelsare simultaneously influenced by the associated cams to cause the leversof the carrying wheels to release the car spindles simultaneously withthe grasping of the spindles by the hooks of the levers of the ad jacentwheels to thereby transfer the spindles from the notches of one wheel tothose of another. By thus transferring them among the various wheels,the cars partake of orbital movements of the respective wheels andassume curvilinear courses with a weaving-like movement with respect toeach other.

In revolving with the various wheels, the spindles are engaged byv thelever hooks to prevent their leaving the respective notches 17 againstthe act-ion of centrifugal force. The cars, moreover, by being supportedby their casters at diametrically opposite sides either upon disksrotating in opposite directions or upon rotating disks and a stationaryplatform, will be caused to rotate about the axes of the car spindles 10during their curvilinear courses.

The construction of the invention will, it is thought, be understoodfrom the foregoing description.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. In apparatus of the class described, thecombination of tangentially arranged wheels provided with peripheralnotches, car-carrying spindles engageable in said notches for propellingsaidspindles, non-rotatable cams for the respective wheels, hookeddevices, and means actuated by said cams whereby said spindles aretransferred from the notches of one wheel to notches of another.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a car-carrying spindle, wheelsarranged in tangental relation and provided with peripheral notches toreceive said spindle, cams for the respective wheels, and means actuatedby said cams whereby said spindle is transferred at the points of the\vheels tangency from a notch in one wheel into anotch in another ofsaid wheels.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a pluralityof tangentially arranged wheels provided with notches in theirperipheries, means to rotate said wheels, a plurality of cars, and aspindle extending axially downward from each of said ears, of hookedlevers carried by said wheels, a cam provided subjacent to each of saidwheels, and means regulated by said cams during the rotation of thewheels whereby said hooked levers are influenced to cooperate with thewheel notches in carrying the cars with the wheels through the medium ofthe respective spindles, said levers also serving to transfer the carsfrom one wheel to another.

4:. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with aplurality of tangentially arranged wheels having peripheral notches, andmeans to rotate said wheels, of a plurality of cars provided withaxially disposed spindles, and cam-actuated devices for releasablyretaining said spindles in engagement with said notches and also effectthe transfer of the spindles from one to another of said wheels, andmeans rendered operative by the rotation of the wheels whereby the carsare rotated about the respective spindles during their orbital travelwith the wheels.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 17th day of June, 1918.

JOHN STANLEY. Witnesses PIERRE BARNES, EDITH PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

